Maburaho: Unseen horizons
by Spiritblade
Summary: A one-shot story of a bleaker world that Kazuki might have lived in. Run along, if you love Maburaho in its original context.


_**A Maburaho fanfic: Unseen horizons**_

_**Written by Spiritblade**_

_**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Maburaho. This story was inspired by one of Kei Misaki's 'Oh! My Goddess fanfic'; like it, this story portrays a (somewhat) darker (AU) version of Maburaho. I may do a second draft, but tell me how I did, all the same.

**X X X**

"_I don't want to ever see you again!"_

Kazuki Shikimori, 17 years of age and student of Aoi Academy, shot up in bed, his breathing ragged and his heart slamming against his ribs. He swallowed the lump in his throat and fought back his tears. He looked about the small apartment in the Saiun Dormitory his father had managed to secure for him when his application for the prestigious Academy was accepted, searching for the source of the voice that had haunted him for over a decade. The owner of that voice had been a girl who had been many things to Kazuki. She had been his first friend and first love, until she realized the reasons why so many in the town despised and loathed the Shikimori family. That spring, during a time when lovers strode together arm-in-arm, smiling and laughing, had been a day that was burnt into his soul – and lashed it with whips of fire. Never had he seen eyes once so full of warmth and laughter turn to such hate and loathing.

And to a boy who could count his friends on fewer fingers than he had one hand, the betrayal had hurt terribly. He remembered crying in his father's strong arms. He remembered asking why they had to suffer like this. He remembered seeing the tears on his father's face, the anguish and defiance in his sad smile. He remembered what his father said, "_Be strong, Kazuki. Remember what your mother told you. We are beaten only if we give in to despair."_

Kazuki drew in a deep, long breath and let it out slowly before getting to his feet. A brief look at the clock told him that he had woken up early. That's good, he thought. It would give him time to pick up a bento at the nearby supermarket. Taking his towel from the nearby stand, he stepped into the toilet.

**X X X**

By the time Kazuki had reached Aoi Academy, his purchases in hand, students were already streaming in. Some came to school, borne on the wings of their familiars, or (for those who were more powerful) materializing within the school compound itself. Others who had no wish to lower the number of times they could use magic, came by more conventional means. Kazuki could not help but be jealous of his schoolmates. Unlike them, he could not use his magic without him taking a step closer to the patient boatman who looked all too eager to ferry him across the River Styx.

And besides, if he did, his schoolmates would soon realize the reasons why he disliked using magic outside of the obvious – and realize just who he really was. He knew what would happen next. It would be a repeat of that beautiful spring day ten years ago, only ten times worse – and that was something Kazuki did not want. He treasured what he had. He managed to make friends, and find hope. For once, he could see something other than the inevitable fate that awaited all of the Shikimori bloodline. The Shikimori family was tainted by its exposure to the dark powers; the International Assembly of Mages had decreed that any individual and clan so tainted would be incarcerated and executed before they became a danger to the rest of humanity.

They had acquired the Taint, not through dabbling with the forbidden or through pacts with Demon Princes, but through loyalty and devotion to the Imperial Throne of Japan. Once, long ago, the Demon Queen Sammael had attempted to destroy the entire Japanese Royal Family who had all defeated her in a decade-long war. Her parting gift before she was cast down into Inferno had been to unleash a devastating curse on the Emperor and his kin. One of the Emperor's _onmyou_ priests, Kazuki's ancestor, had taken the curse into himself, sparing the Imperial Family the agony that his bloodline would suffer till its destruction.

And, for generations thereafter, the Imperial Family would watch over the Shikimori family from the shadows, praying for the day when the curse would leave them. But, before their very eyes, the descendants of the man who had saved them from damnation shrank slowly as the Curse destroyed them one by one. All that was left of the Shikimori family was Kazuki and his father – and the latter was showing signs of succumbing.

Kazuki strode through the corridors, ignoring the subtle looks of scorn thrown his way. He knew that many of his schoolmates, both senior and junior, often wondered how someone like him – with such a low magic count – had been allowed to attend such a school as prestigious as theirs. In a world where one's future was decided on that one single attribute, Kazuki stood at the very bottom of the ladder with those who could not use magic. No, he thought, he stood even lower than that. The young man let out a long breath and cleared his mind; being negative **never** helped. It only made matters worse.

Sighing, the young man walked into his classroom, greeting his classmates. Several of them, Sayumi among them, nodded in return. He sat down at his desk, and waited for homeroom to begin. As he listened to his classmates talk, he latched onto one topic of interest. Apparently, their class was about to see a new face. Minutes later, when Iba-sensei arrived, she did not arrive alone. Kazuki's eyes widened. There, standing before him, was the pink-haired girl of his dreams, a pleasant smile on her face as she regarded her new classmates. The dream he had yesterday had been a premonition.

"My name is Miyama Yuna," the girl smiled as Iba-sensei bade her to introduce herself, "I'm glad to meet all of you."

**X X X**

The male members of Kazuki's class, as expected, practically stampeded to Yuna's desk in order to introduce themselves to her and to ask her out. Kazuki was not among them. Iba-sensei had seen the discomfort in her student's face and realized the source of it instantly. The fact that the class's newest member had been looking at Kazuki curiously had prompted the teacher to come to his rescue. Iba may be lackadaisical with her responsibilities, but she was not stupid. She had been part of the yakuza before she became a teacher, and she could smell trouble brewing from a mile off.

Iba was also one of the few staff members in the school that was privy to the reasons why and how someone as mediocre as Kazuki Shikimori could be enrolled in a school as prestigious as Aoi Academy. And she'd be damned if the young man lost one of the few places he could call home. It was one thing to read about tragedies; it was another to see one before your eyes. She pulled out a cigarette and lit it with a thought, remembering what Kazuki had told her regarding Yuna – and of the time they had once been friends, and how that friendship had ended.

His voice had been shaky and his smile, sad. Kazuki, she saw, did not hate her.

No. He hated himself more.

She remembered a line from a tragedy she had come across once, a long time ago: _**'The only happy endings we have are those lost to us…or those we fought to reach. Impossible dreams and ideals are cherished, because they represent the very things we have lost or wish to regain**__**.**__**'**_

The teacher turned about and prepared to return to her class. The guys had better had done mobbing Yuna, or she'd throw them all back into their seats with her gale-force temper – literally.

**X X X**

Kazuki Shikimori was on the rooftop, where he'd hidden for the entirety of the lunch break. His empty bento rested beside him, and a mug of hot tea warmed his hands. He smiled. Iba-sensei was, for all her faults, a good teacher. No other teacher could deal with a class as troublesome as Kazuki's own; they would all go insane within a matter of days – or demolish the entire building in an explosion of wrath.

Sighing in contentment, Kazuki leaned back against the wall and took a sip of the beverage in his hands, enjoying the way it warmed his insides. His father had always said that a hot drink was the best way to end the day. Kazuki took his father's words to heart, but used sake instead. He had a bottle of sake given to him by Akai-sensei, the school's resident doctor, for those days when his nightmares became too much to handle. The fact that it always remained full no matter how much he drank – and that it did not cause him a hangover the following morning – had put Kazuki in the older man's debt. Akai-sensei had always waved it off, telling him that if he needed anything, all he needed to do was ask. If he did not, kami-sama knows what his sister, his dorm manager (and Akai-sensei's friend, Hirosaki Karei) and Iba-sensei would do to him if they found that he had been negligent. Kazuki took another sip. While he disliked having so many good people worry about him, he knew that, without their aid, he would have ended up dead a long time ago – or worse.

He chuckled, remembering how Akai-sensei's younger sister had made her older brother promise to look after Kazuki while she went about the nine worlds looking for a cure that could purge the Taint from Kazuki's soul. With her long, dark hair, lovely features, lithe physique and amber eyes that could glow in the darkness, Shino Haruaki crushed to powder the stereotype of a witch being an old, ugly crone whose dabbling with forbidden sorceries had burnt the life from her body. No; Shino-san was the witch that could tempt heroes and martyrs to sin with promises of passion and freedom. And the thing was, she had her eyes on him. Shino had made it clear that, when he reached his twentieth birthday, the only way that he could avoid her dragging him to the altar was that he married Hirosaki-san (who giggled upon hearing that) or any other girl (who, Shino promised, would find herself on the wrong end of her magic).

Akai-sensei himself was no better, but compared to Shino-san, was a safer person to be around. The mischief in Shino-san's eyes that promised ten thousand torments (none of them lethal, alas) was lacking in her older brother's. Kazuki often found himself subjected to experiments to test the resilience of the Taint; it surprised him that the incurable 'Bye-bye' virus, which reduced the magical count of those afflicted till they had none left (and were reduced to ash), withered in his body. Even Akai-sensei had gone pale, and went on to comment that the Demon Princess who cursed his ancestor was truly sadistic. She would not allow the Shikimori line to die a swift, painless death without each and every one of them suffering.

"Hello, Kazuki," a voice spoke, causing the young man to turn his head to the speaker. There, stepping through the wall, dressed in his white coat and wearing his spectacles, was Akai-sensei.

"What are you doing here, sensei?"

"Taking a short break before I handle the next class," the older man replied, pushing up his spectacles, "There is a medical examination today – and that is why I'm here. You are to report to me at the end of the day. I want to see if my elixirs have had any effect on the Taint."

Kazuki nodded, "Why not join me for a while, sensei? I have a flask of hot tea from Iba-sensei…"

The doctor accepted immediately.

**X X X**

Kazuki soon found himself walking the corridors that led him past the sick bay, where he found Nakamaru, his classmate lurking at its entrance. The young man sighed; there was no doubt in his mind that the latter was trying to use his powers to peep on the girls who were having their check-up. And from the look of disappointment on Nakamaru's face, it was clear that his efforts had just been foiled by one of the girls inside the room.

"Gah! A barrier…!"

"You shouldn't do that, Nakamaru," Kazuki said, "You know the class rules. Do you want Matsuda to kill you?"

"Hah!" the other snorted, "As if she can do anything to me! Besides, I left a double back in class. Never mind that!" and he pulled Kazuki over, before putting his hands together, touching the tips of his first and second fingers together, "Right now, I need help. The third-year student, Kazetsubaki Kuriko, is inside. You know she controls everything, from the student council to the school's board of directors. If we can get rid of this barrier and catch her in her underwear…" a sly look lit up Nakamaru's face, "You with me?"

Kazuki face-faulted, "Nakamaru…that's a crime."

"Not at all…!" Nakamaru shot up from his kneeling position, "It is not against the law. The person who shows his weakness is wrong."

Now, Kazuki sweat-dropped; had Nakamaru taken a rock to the head in his childhood years? Where on earth did he get the idea that being weak was wrong, anyhow?

"Weakness…?"

"You know that good grades can no longer grant us status and fame; it's the number of times we can use magic!" Nakamaru said, opening his clenched fist and calling a silver-blue flame into existence, "So, tell me, Kazuki, how many times are you able use magic in this lifetime of yours? The number of times a normal person can use magic is in double digits. The average magic count for a student of Aoi Academy is 8000."

Kazuki felt the Taint roil in his heart, fuelling his rage and desire to smite his classmate and send him to the Nine Hells. It was understandable that Nakamaru would ask; Kazuki had never told any of his classmates about his magic count – he always sidestepped the issue – as it would lead to them asking all the wrong questions. Well, he could always blame it on the bad luck that seemed to dog him most of his life...

"Eight times…"

Nakamaru was in front of Kazuki's face in an instant, the mocking look on his face barely concealed by a mask of nonchalance, "Eight times…? Eight times, huh? For a fool like you who can only use magic eight times, this," he swept a hand towards the sick bay's doors, "is the only way you can have a fun life as a student. Think about that carefully."

'_Oh, but I do, Nakamaru-san. I look at you and all our classmates, and I wonder if there will ever be a chance for me to live life normally…'_ Kazuki did not answer.

A girl's thunderous voice, crackling with wrath, shook the air, "Nakamaru…!"

Nakamaru turned pale and turned around; there, hovering in the air, was Matsuda; the expression on her face was one a tigress would have when it cornered a lone, limping antelope. Nakamaru could see the words 'Game Over' written all over that grin.

"The act of using magic to escape from class to peep at girls is a violation of our Class-B rules, Article 3, Paragraph 7!" Matsuda thundered, her hands weaving the complex magical sigils that called her Wind Sword into being, "How **many** times do you need me to tell you that!"

"Shut up! When did you become the enforcer of the rules?"

Matsuda was not impressed by Nakamaru's rebuttal, "Remember, you are not the one who wrote the rules, Nakamaru!" and she unleashed her Charm on the Nakamaru, who promptly fled down the corridor at full speed. Matsuda shot after him, her body language telling Kazuki that Nakamaru was going home black and blue. The explosion of the red-haired girl's charm threw Kazuki onto his back, even as the former unleashed a barrage of fire-bolts on her fleeing target.

Kazuki watched them go, instants before the door of the sick bay opened, revealing the lithe but curvaceous form of the lovely Kazetsubaki Kuriko. Kazuki's lips went dry instantly, and his heart-rate shot through the roof, as he gazed upon the goddess that stood before him. The way the sun made Kuriko's long golden locks glow and the way it made her skin shine with warmth took his breath away, never mind the fact that she was half-naked.

"More idiots from class 2-B, eh…?"

Kazuki made a strangled reply, causing Kuriko to turn her crimson eyes on him, a condescending look on her face, "You're still here?"

The cat which ran off with Kazuki's brain and tongue quickly returned it before its owner was murdered. Kazuki got back to his feet and ran off with a hastily-mouthed apology.

**(O)**

Nakamaru was less than pleased with the thrashing Matsuda had given him, and had no qualms in voicing his displeasure. Why should he be the one repairing the damages caused by Matsuda's temper? He was the one who wrote the rules in the first place! If it had not been for her, Nakamaru would already have been in a position to claim Kuriko's affections. Kazuki rolled his eyes; trust Nakamaru to try to reach for the highest apple without realizing that there was a serpent in the tree (or, in this case, a very angry dragon who would not appreciate Nakamaru's attempt).

"In any case, I'm happy with the way things are," Kazuki said.

"You really have very simple tastes, don't you? Don't you have anything to look forward to?"

Matsuda materialized behind Nakamaru, "Look forward to what, Nakamaru…? Being a pervert?"

"That's my goal," one his Kazuki's classmates, Uki, said, "First-year student, Kamishiro Rin. I think she's very beautiful."

Kazuki followed Uki's gaze. There, walking below, clad in the traditional garments of Japan's samurai caste, was a blue-haired girl clutching a sword. Rin was an exorcist; her family still served the Emperor in the same fashion the Shikimori family had prior to their self-imposed exile.

"There really are a lot of cute girls in our school, aren't there?"

"This talk does not concern you, Shikimori," Uki replied.

"That's low, Uki. Though he can only use magic eight times in his life, he is still a man," Nakamaru shot a salvo across Uki's bow, even as an invisible pan landed on Kazuki's head.

"Besides," Matsuda added, "once the magic examination is over, he'll need to face reality."

Another invisible pan followed the first, this one crashing with twice the force. Kazuki whimpered in pain. He pinched himself, hard. Nope, he wasn't dreaming.

**(O)**

School was finally over.

Kazuki sighed in relief, as he waited at the entrance for Akai-sensei and Iba-sensei to join him. It had taken considerable effort to convince Miyama-san that they had not met before, and a carefully-worded question as to who exactly he looked like. The pink-haired girl's reply had, frankly, made his blood run cold. The loathing in her eyes as she spoke about that person (him) made Kazuki realize that it would be in his best interests to keep his former childhood friend in the dark.

Besides, Kazuki had learnt to lie convincingly; it was a skill he had learnt out of necessity in order to live normally. But, for now, for today, the framework that held up the lies he told the rest of the world still held strong, thanks to the friends who helped make it so. Always, his father had told him before they parted ways, tell those outside your circle a half-truth, to ensure that that which we seek to hide remains forever obscured.

Yes, let his past remain in the pages of history, and let the world believe that the Shikimori bloodline has perished. It would, given time. Kazuki looked at his female schoolmates; few of them even spared him a glance in the same fashion that Sayumi would. Kazuki sighed, and turned his gaze onto the darkening sky where the first stars were starting to appear. Gazing at them, his mind crafted an impossible dream in an equally impossible world, one that was sweet and full of hope. He imagined a life where Yuna, Kuriko and Rin were in love with him despite his mediocrity; it was a world where Yamase, his childhood friend, was still in Aoi Academy, her unswerving loyalty a pillar the weary Kazuki could lean upon when he was weary; it was a world where the things he yearned for were within reach.

"Shikimori-kun!" a voice called out, breaking the young man out of his thoughts and causing him to turn around. There, walking towards him, were Akai-sensei, Iba-sensei, and Hirosaki-san, all of them dressed in their finest. The last looked at him up and down with that ever-present smile on her face, before waving her hands in a complex gesture, bluish flame following her gestures to form a complex mandala that changed Kazuki's school uniform into one perfect for the high-class restaurant he would be going to.

"It looks good on you, Kazuki-san," his dorm manager spoke, "Come, let us go. Shino-san is waiting, and you know how she hates to be kept waiting."

Kazuki nodded, smiling, and turned to look over his shoulder at his school. The life he was living now was not the one he wanted to live, but it was the only one he had. And as long as there was a chance for him to be happy, he would not stop trying to reach for that highest apple.

_**Fin.**_


End file.
